Nationwide Arena is the site for a Metro Division tilt as the Columbus Blue Jackets square off against the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. NBC Sports Philadelphia will air the matchup, and the puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, February 16.
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
Philadelphia (+120) is currently the underdog to Columbus (-140) and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
Columbus is 29-28 straight up (SU) and has lost 5.1 units for moneyline bettors thus far. That winning percentage, ranked 3rd in the Metropolitan Division in this young season, is a regression from the 50-32 record that the team posted during the 2016-17 season campaign. Through 57 regular season contests, 31 of its games have gone under the total, while 25 have gone over and just one has pushed. The team is 17-11 SU at home this year.
The Blue Jackets have converted on just 14.5 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s ranked 32nd overall in the NHL. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 27th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 75.5 percent of all penalties.
The Blue Jackets, as a collective unit, have been penalized just 3.1 times per game overall this season, 3.0 per game over their past five matchups total, and 2.8 per game over their last five home outings. The team has had to kill penalties for just 6.3 minutes per game over their last 10 matchups, overall.
With a .920 save percentage and 28.4 saves per game, Sergei Bobrovsky (24-22-4) has been the primary option in goal for Columbus this year. If the Jackets, however, choose to give him the night off, head coach John Tortorella could go with Joonas Korpisalo (5-7-7 record, .903 save percentage, 3.15 goals against average).
The Jackets will continue to look for leadership from Artemi Panarin and Seth Jones. Panarin (46 points) has produced 15 goals and 31 assists and has recorded two or more points on nine separate occasions this year. Jones has eight goals and 28 assists to his name and has recorded a point in 29 games.
Philadelphia is 28-29 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.0 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. A total of 31 of its contests have gone over the total, while 24 have gone under and just two have pushed. As an away team so far, the Flyers are 14-14 SU.
The Flyers have converted on 21.6 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 27th overall and it’s successfully defended 75.1 percent of all opponent power plays.
Philadelphia’s skaters have been penalized 3.7 times per game this season, and 3.0 per game over their past five games. The team’s had to kill penalties just 8.9 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Brian Elliott (2.72 goals against average and .908 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Philadelphia. Elliott is averaging 26.3 saves per game and has 22 wins, 19 losses, and seven OT losses to his credit.
For the visiting Flyers, the offense will be facilitated by Claude Giroux (19 goals, 47 assists) and Jakub Voracek (11 goals, 53 assists).
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Blue Jackets, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Trends
The majority (64.3 percent) of Philadelphia’s wins have come by two or more goals, and the team is 18-13 overall in such games. 13 of Columbus’ wins (44.8 percent) have been decided by two or more goals.
The Flyers are 8-13 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Blue Jackets are 8-11 SU when they spend more time in the box than their opponent.
Philadelphia is 1-5 in games decided by a shootout this season while Columbus is 6-4 in shootouts.
Columbus may have an advantage if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 16-9 in games decided by one goal, while Philadelphia is 10-16 in such games.
The over has hit in three of Columbus’ last five games.
Columbus skaters have averaged 3.6 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 6.0 giveaways per game (ranked 4th in the league).
Philadelphia skaters have averaged 6.6 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 9.1 giveaways per game (ranked 14th overall).
